F1 2010 Game Preview

This upcoming new Formula 1 game is about as close to racing reality as you can get!

When I was 12, the hot new driving video game was Night Driver. I played it with the paddle controller on my Atari 2600. It was fun, but lacked realism. In a big way. Fast forward to this year. The hot new driving game—set to come out in a few months—is F1 2010 by Codemasters.

Let's just say there's been some progress. If ultimate realism is the goal in a racing simulation—and I think most agree that it is—then the game developers behind F1 2010 clearly deserve an "A" on their report card.

There's a lot of what you'd expect in the new game: All the drivers and teams contesting the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship are represented, (including 7-time World Champion Michael Schumacher). All 19 tracks—even the Korean circuit that isn't even built yet—are rendered in astounding detail. Full online multiplayer capability allows you to race gamers all over the world in a range of race modes. What isn't so expected is what Codemasters calls "Be the driver, live the life"—interactive gameplay in which off-track activities are viewed from the driver's perspective. You can make career decisions with your manager in the team transporter, argue with your teammate, or criticize your race engineer in a press conference. Consider your actions carefully, though—all these things that are a very real part of an F1 driver's race weekend will actively affect your results as the season progresses.

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Fully dynamic weather is another way F1 2010 surprises. `Active Track' technology is the most advanced weather system in any racing game, with stunning visuals to match. Incredibly, each track's surface is modeled in 30 square centimeter sections, with grip coefficients constantly changing in a wet or drying track situation. You'd better look for those off-line puddles to cool your tires if you're caught on full wets!

More than 100 game developers at Codemasters are working full-time on this project, which is due for release in September. A big part of the game's authenticity is due to their extensive collaboration with Formula 1 race engineers, mechanics, and drivers. Seasoned Honda F1 and Brawn GP test driver Anthony Davidson continues to be heavily involved in the game's development, providing the kind of real-world insight that game developers would otherwise never have. A bump in Turn 8 at Spa, the speed and crispness of downshifts, how a modern F1 car feels with a full tank and a fresh set of tires—these are the minutiae that transform a great game into an experience bordering on... dare we say reality?

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Codemasters let me sample a beta version of F1 2010 at their Los Angeles office last week. For about 20 minutes, I was Fernando Alonso lapping the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, blue sky overhead, golden sunlight wrapping around my bright red Ferrari as I pushed harder and harder, dialing it in for qualifying. I heard there might be rain on Sunday, though, so when the game comes out in September I want to sit down with my engineer and talk about suspension settings...

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